BASEBALL

BASEBALL; Coleman Caught By Cubs' Catcher

By HARVEY ARATON

Published: August 4, 1991

The catcher, Rick Wilkins, had just the day before introduced himself to Vince Coleman.

The two crossed paths in a men's clothing store on the east side of Manhattan, near the hotel in which the Chicago Cubs were housed.

Wilkins recognized Coleman in less time than it takes for Coleman to motor from home to first. Coleman wouldn't have known Wilkins if he'd run him over trying to score.

"I catch for the Cubs," Wilkins said, extending a hand.

"Oh, right, right," Coleman said. "The new guy." Awkward Meeting

For the rookie who in the last month has done the bulk of the Cubs' catching, this awkward meeting was actually more than coincidence; it was also a pleasant surprise.

Both Wilkins and Coleman are from Jacksonville, Fla., and the young catcher has followed the National League's premier base stealer as an admirer and a student.

"He's real big back home, a superstar, and everyone follows him," said Wilkins, who is from Jacksonville's south side while Coleman is from the north. "And I knew if I ever reached the big leagues, I was going to have to deal with people like Vince."

They met a second time Friday night at Shea Stadium, only this time from a distance of 90 feet. Coleman, demonstrating the guts of a burglar and the judgment of a man who leaves his door unlocked, attempted to steal third in the seventh inning of a 2-2 game. There were two out, Kevin McReynolds was on first and Howard Johnson, the Mets' leader in home runs and r.b.i. was at the plate.

Coleman, given a green light to steal by Manager Buddy Harrelson with the proviso that common sense be used in determining when to run, did not know much about Wilkins's ability to throw. He did not know that a week ago, playing at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Wilkins had gunned down Atlanta's Otis Nixon, the National League's stolen-base leader, also trying to steal third.

All of which raised this question in the minds of the Mets, after they absorbed a 4-2, 10-inning defeat courtesy of Ryne Sandberg's two-run homer off Alejandro Pena: why?

"We've got a hold sign for him and he's gotten it a few times this year," Mike Cubbage, the Mets' third-base coach, said. "He didn't have it then."

"He knew it," Harrelson said, referring to Coleman and the fact that the player's decision was not the right one. "It's a common rule in baseball if you steal third, you have to make it standing up. He knows the pitcher, but he doesn't know the catcher and the guy had a better release than he expected." Out in a Cinch

Much better. Despite Coleman's running start against left-hander Chuck McElroy, and having to throw over Johnson hitting from the right side, Wilkins easily threw out Coleman, the 13th time the Met had been caught in 48 attempts this season.

Besides running the Mets out a possible go-ahead run and condemning Dwight Gooden to a no-decision, Coleman's audacious maneuver heightened tensions in the already tight Mets' clubhouse.

Johnson refused to comment, saying reporters "were trying to make up a controversy." Judging from the looks on the faces of Harrelson and Coleman, little imagination was required. The loss was the Mets' eighth in 11 games, and kept them five games behind slumping Pittsburgh and a mere half-game ahead of St. Louis.

"I'm a base stealer; I can steal it anytime, O.K.?" Coleman snapped. A Happy Shopper

According to Wilkins, Coleman's mood had been much brighter when he was shopping. They talked about the pennant race the Mets are hoping for and of mutual acquaintances in Jacksonville.

"He was very cordial, very nice," Wilkins said. "It made me feel good because he's a big man back home.

"I guess some people there will be talking about me throwing him out. I just think I had an advantage. I certainly know about him, so I was on my toes."

Unfortunately for the Mets, so was Coleman. Except this time, he would have been better off flat on his feet. INSIDE PITCH

Gregg Jefferies was loudly booed after going hitless all five times at bat Friday night, and this was likely related to criticism levied against him by Darryl Strawberry in two New York Papers. Jeffries wouldn't comment on the booing . . . Dwight Goodden, with seven innings of six-hit, two run pitching, is 4-0 with 2.22 e.r.a. over his last six starts. Gooden tired in the heat after seventh, though Bud Harrelson considered pinch-hitting for him with bases loaded and two out in the sixth. Mike Bielecki fanned him on a 3-2 pitch.

Photo: "I'm a base stealer; I can steal it anytime, O.K.?" said Vince Coleman, who was criticized for being thrown out by Cubs catcher Rick Wilkins while trying to steal in the seventh inning Friday night at Shea Stadium. (G. Paul Burnett/The New York Times)